A lawyer for a violent teenager who paralyzed a mother of three by body-slamming her during a robbery had his $200,000 bail cut in half by a sympathetic judge on Wednesday.
Houston police arrested Joseph Harrell, 17, and Zy’Nika Woods, 19, after Harrell robbed Nhung Truong of $4,300 and body-slammed her on Feb. 13.
Truong suffered cracked ribs and a fractured spine, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down.
Judge Kristin Guiney originally set bail at $200,000 for Harrell and $50,000 for Woods, the getaway driver.
According to Fox News, prosecutors asked for a $200,000 bond for Harrell who had previously posted $100 bond for an unlawful carrying of a weapon charge.
However, Harrell’s lawyer, Catherine Evans, argued successfully on Wednesday that Harrell’s family couldn’t afford 10% of the bail amount ($20,000) to bond him out of jail.
“I requested a bond considerably lower than what Judge Guiney actually set and informed her that the client’s family was currently unable to make his bond,” Evans told Fox News Digital. “Additionally, it was confirmed that bond conditions are in place that would place Mr. Harrell on 24 hour house arrest and require him to wear a GPS monitor should family members be able to post sufficient bonds at some point in the future.”
The brutal attack on Truong was caught on a nearby surveillance camera. The camera also caught the license plate on Woods’s car. Woods was arrested and she quickly confessed, implicating Harrell.
12 days after he robbed Truong, Harrell allegedly robbed another woman of her purse. The second victim and her husband tracked Harrell to a Houston address using a tracking device in her purse.
When they arrived at the address, the woman recognized Harrell standing outside and called 911. While waiting for police to arrive, Harrell allegedly drove past them and asked if they needed something. They replied that they didn’t, at which point Harrell turned around, drove past them again and pointed a black handgun at her, according to police.
Harrell is now being held on a combined $130,000 bond for both robbery cases.
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